GREENSBORO, N.C., March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Glenn Gonzales, co-founder and CEO of private jet fractional ownership company Jet It and co-founder and President of sister company Jet Club, has been recognized for his industry-changing efforts by receiving the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Award.
On March 23, AOPA hosted the sixth annual Hoover Awards Gala at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C. APOA President Mark Baker presented Gonzales with the coveted award, which honors the life and legacy of General Charles McGee, best known for his role with the Tuskegee Airmen, the Army Air Corps’ first African American fighter squadron. The honor is bestowed on the aviator who best lives up to the ideals of McGee through encouraging and inspiring generations to come.
“To receive an award named after a man of General Magee’s accomplishments is humbling. The number of positive contributions he made to our society regarding race relations, excellence, and mentorship are the reason that Jet It can exist. As a personal friend and mentor, I am eternally grateful to his legacy,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales, a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran, Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF Reserves, and long-time aviation industry expert has become a major disruptor in private air travel today. He not only embraced McGee’s ethos, but he also had a personal relationship with the celebrated pilot. In 2018, Gonzales took McGee on a Jet It plane to celebrate his 99th birthday, and it was the first time the fighter pilot took the controls of an aircraft in 37 years.